8 Leading causes of Obesity

Obesity is one of the complex diseased condition in which you will have an excess of body fat. Having too much of body fat can increase the risk of different diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, sleep apnea and stroke.

It is important to lose weight to avoid the risk of major health diseases. Before knowing the treatment, you need to know the root cause of obesity.

Causes of Obesity

The balance between your calorie intake and energy expenditure determines your weight. When you eat more calories than the number of calorie you burn, it may results in weight gain. However, when you fewer calories than you burn or metabolize, you will lose weight.

The common cause of obesity includes the following:

Overeating

Overeating mainly leads to accumulation of fats in your body which eventually leads to weight gain. Foods that are high in fats or sugar have high energy density. According to the epidemiological studies, foods that are rich in fats and sugars generally cause weight gain or obesity.

Genetics

When one or both parents are obese, you are more likely to suffer with obesity. Genetics mainly affect hormones that are involved in fat regulation. One of the common genetic causes of obesity is leptin. Leptin is a type of hormone that is produced in the fat cells. Leptin hormone is also produced in the placenta.

Leptin plays a major role in signaling your brain to eat less when your body has enough stored fat. In cases when the leptin is not produced in sufficient quantity in your body, it cannot signal your brain to eat less.

Rich carbohydrate diet

Carbohydrates are responsible to increase blood glucose levels in your body which stimulate the insulin release by the pancreas. Insulin mainly helps in promoting the growth of fat tissues in your body that may lead to weight gain.

Simple carbohydrates such as sugars, fructose contributes to weight gain as they get absorbed in your bloodstream more rapidly. Complex carbohydrates are less likely to get absorbed in your blood when compared to simple carbohydrates.

You need to maintain a normal blood sugar levels as higher insulin release in your blood may lead to obesity or weight gain.

Frequency of eating

There is a strong relation between the frequency of eating and your weight. According to a research study, when you eat small meals 4-5 times a day, you are more likely to have lower cholesterol and lower blood sugar levels. When you eat less frequently and large meals on a daily basis, you are more likely to have high blood glucose and high cholesterol levels in your body.

Small frequent meals generally produce stable level of insulin in your body, whereas large meals results in production of more amount of insulin.

Physical inactivity

Physical activity is important for everyone to burn the calories that you eat on a daily basis. Lack of physical activity generally results in accumulation of excess fat in your body resulting in obesity.

Medications

There are certain medications that can lead to weight gain. It is recommended to discuss with your physician before taking any medicines like oral contraceptives or any hormones that can increase the risk of obesity.

Psychological factor

Psychological changes like extreme stress can influence your weight. Mostly people eat more in response to certain emotions like stress, anger and depression that may result in weight gain or obesity.

Diseases

Diseases such as hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome, insulin resistance and Cushing’s syndrome can increase the risk of obesity.

Atefa Noorain, (Microbiologist) former Head of the Department of Life Sciences, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Sujatha Degree College for Women.
She worked as an Associate Research Analyst at Thomson Reuters and an Associate Editor of two research journals. She has presented her research work in 3 International Conferences.
She has written articles for national journals and international journals. She had been felicitated as a Young Speaker in the last conference. She has worked on Nanoparticles as a part of her research project and won the Best Scientist of the Day award.